Friendly Image
by Corliss Kat
Summary: There are people who you've known for a long time, practically your entire life, so for a while they seem older by a lot but once you reach a certain age they just feel like one of your friends that you would feel fine going to the mall with. That was the way Light felt with L, or Ryuzaki as he preferred to be called.


**A/N: HI! This fic turned out a lot shorted than I had intended it to be, but I decided to just keep it short and sweet instead of the long thing I had hoped it would become. I apologize for the possible OOC-ness, and any typos. All of those mistakes are mine.**

There are people you know your entire life and never really question their age because they obviously are older then you cause you've known them your entire life. There are people you met in your youth and just count them as the same age as you cause really they're close enough to be. Then there are people who you've known for a long time, practically your entire life, so for a while they seem older by a lot but once you reach a certain age they just feel like one of your friends that you would feel fine going to the mall with. That was the way Light felt with L, or Ryuzaki as he preferred to be called.

He didn't really remember when they had actually met. Light would probably guess somewhere around elementary, around the age when he somehow got ahead of the rest of the crowd in grades. Back then Light had called him L, although now it seemed to make his friend uncomfortable.

He also didn't remember when Ryuzaki had told him that he was _the_ L, as in the world's greatest detective L. Of course, Light had had to swear to never tell a soul, which he never did. He barely even talked to his parents about Ryuzaki. Until they became room mates in Light's first year of college and Ryuzaki's second; although it wasn't his actual second year of college, he was just there for an investigation that he had to be undercover for.

Ryuzaki never really spent time around Light's parents or sister, although Light used to tell Sayu when she was younger the stories that he had been told about L. He guessed that his little sister wouldn't be able to piece together that L and Ryuzaki were one and the same.

"Light-kun, does your family think I'm weird?" Light looked up from the homework he was pretending to focus on, startled by the sudden question. His friend was sitting in the middle of the room, on the floor, fiddling with a piece of paper and a gigantic box of chocolates that Light had no idea where he had gotten from. Although there were chairs and two beds for that matter, he refused to leave from his crouched position on the floor.

"I don't think so," he said thoughtfully, not really sure how to answer. They didn't really know much about him. Light had been a little detached after middle school. He started focusing more on grades and possible career choices, although he knew for certain that he wanted to be a detective, just like his father and Ryuzaki. "Why are you asking?"

"No reason. It's just that they don't seem to ever want to talk to me, and even Sayu gets awkward when the two of you are Skyping and I'm mentioned."

Light chuckled a little. "She's just jealous that you get to see me more than she does." Ryuzaki shrugged at this, but smiled all the same.

"I thought I taught you how to do math problems like this last year," Light said as he angled his laptop so that Sayu could see the way he was setting up the equation.

"Well then I forgot," she said, clearly not paying as much attention to what he was writing as Light would have preferred. She had asked for help, after all. "Light..."

Light looked up. He knew that tone. She was preparing for a potentially awkward conversation, probably because she wanted to ask him to do something. The last time he remembered her voice coming out this strained was when she was about to tell him that a guy at school kissed her.

"What?" he asked cautiously, well aware that he was treading through dangerous waters.

"You know how my birthday is coming up and all?" she continued, starting to fiddle with her nail. That was another dead give away of how uncomfortable she was at the moment. She _never_ picked at her nails.

"How could I forget?" he said, smiling to hopefully get her to feel less uncomfortable. It was him she was talking to, for crying out loud!

"I was wondering if you could, like, maybe come over for dinner?" Light couldn't figure out why she was sounding so nervous, until she added the word "alone" to the end of it. Oh. She didn't want Ryuzaki to be there.

"I can't bring Ryuzaki, then?" he asked.

"Well, yeah. Whenever I see you, which is barely ever, all you talk about is Ryuzaki." When Light had asked he had been more joking than anything, not meaning to make her snap. And, what made it worse, was how much it stung to hear her say that.

"You used to enjoy it when I'd talk about Ryuzaki," he mumbled, more to himself than to her.

"Light, I outgrew that stuff a while ago."

"You outgrew wanting to hear about my friends?"

"You know what I mean!" She looked away from the camera, clearly regretting even bringing it up. "I gotta go. Come or don't come, whatever, just please don't...bring Ryuzaki." Before Light could say anything she ended the Skype call.

He sighed, putting his head down in his hands. He never knew Sayu felt that way. Sure, he could tell that she had been losing interest in hearing about anything to do with Ryuzaki, but he never thought she would be like this.

"Light-kun, I'm sorry that your sister doesn't like me. I still think she is a very fine young lady," said Ryuzaki, somehow ending up right behind Light.

"Yeah, I'm sorry to," he said, closing his computer.

He still went, of course. He wouldn't miss his little sister's birthday for the world. Still, that didn't make it anymore awkward.

"Well, Light, how's college been?" his mother asked after all the food was laid out in front of them.

"It's been great. In fact, Ryuzaki..." once the name left his mouth he caught the glance from Sayu, along with the look of worry flicker over his mother's eyes and the strained cough from his father. They never liked it when he mentioned Ryuzaki anymore. "Sorry."

"No, it's fine," his mother said. "You can-" She was cut off by the sound of Light's father's phone ringing. He glanced down at it, and an unplaceable emotion settled on his normally strait face.

"Work. Sorry, I have to take this." He got up and when into the room adjacent to the one they sat in.

He quickly answered the phone. "Hello?" he asked, although he knew who was on the other line.

"Hello, is this Mr. Yagami?" said one of those overly sweet reception voices.

"This is he."

"You called earlier about a family member who you believe to have a mental disease, is that correct?" He answered affirmatively. "Could you tell us what the problem might be?"

"It's my son," he said with a sigh. "He's almost an adult now, but he still has the same imaginary friend as when he was in primary school."

 **A/N: Feedback is much appreciated**


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